The city did not encounter any cases of repeated swine flu despite three passengers suspected of having the aliments arriving at Delhi and one at Hyderabad.
The city did not encounter any cases of repeated swine flu on Saturday despite three passengers suspected of having the aliments arriving at Delhi and one at Hyderabad.
Till late evening, passengers who disembarked at Delhi airport tested negative for the virus, while samples of the Hyderabad passenger were still being tested.
“There is not a single suspected case of swine flu in Mumbai or Maharashtra,” said Dr DS Dakhure, director general of Maharashtra health services. He said that the state was fully geared to face an epidemic of any kind. “Currently, we have 10,000 capsules of Oseltamivir, 1,000 personal protective equipment and 5,000 triple layer masks,” he informed.
The international airport at Sahar is one of the 18 airports in the country where passengers coming from the affected areas are being screened. Till Saturday afternoon, about 7,601 passengers descending from 62 flights were being screened for the virus that has affected hundreds, particularly in the United States and Mexico.
The Haffkine Institute at Parel has been asked to stay prepared for confirmatory tests as soon as any cases of swine flu are reported. The institute uses techniques like isolation of the virus to conclude what kind of virus it is. “For genetic testing, the samples will be sent to the National Institute of Virology at Pune,” said Dr Abhay Chaudhary, director of Haffkine Institute.
Even though the isolation of virus takes about 8-10 days, Chaudhary said that the treatment will be initiated.
Besides, for confirmation of diagnosis, clinical specimen such as throat swab, nasal swab, wash or aspirate could be obtained. The civic-run Kasturba Hospital that has kept an isolated 20-bedded ward for swine flu has also obtained necessary gear for prevention. “We have installed an air purifying machine in the ward and also arranged for adequate ventilators,” said medical superintendent Dr Umesh Aigal. “Doctors entering the ward have to wear protective gear. They will also be given HAPE mask that is specially designed for those who collect throat swabs,” he said.
“We are trained to tackle such situations as we have also handled cases of bird flu,” he said. Executive health officer Dr Jairaj Thanekar said, “Anyone who has recently travelled and come back from the affected areas should rush to a hospital if they are asymptomatic."
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